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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Weight and tone changes
Weight and tone changes
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SuperBee
6113 posts
Aug 09, 2019
8:06 PM
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I’ve lost quite a bit of weight lately.
I think it’s affected my tone.
I’m using the word ‘tone’ but only for a headline word. I think the difference is broader than tone.
I guess it’s mainly about breathing.
I think there may be more than one factor in play, but 1 thing I can notice is that I’m less congested in upper respiratory tract, by which I mean from throat to nostrils.
I’m not talking huge amount of weight but a substantial amount:14 kilograms. That’s around 30lbs I believe.
I’ve lost fat all over my body, including my head. I would not be surprised if this has allowed my breathing spaces to open up.
It may not be just fat though. I’ve lost all the weight by changing my diet and just maybe something I’m no longer consuming was leading to inflammation.
I have noticed some long-term low-level inflammatory conditions have cleared up.
My posture may have also changed and I suspect my diaphragm is able to move easier with less fat inside my abdomen.
The most noticeable change has been my voice. I’m getting used to it now but at first it was rather surprising to me when I heard different sound coming out.
I seem to have better projection too.
This is quite unexpected for me. I had always thought that singers who carried a bit of weight were more likely to have big rich voices but I much prefer my voice since I’ve slimmed off.
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jbone
2987 posts
Aug 09, 2019
9:04 PM
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I do think that some heftier singers have more depth of vocal tone, but part of that may be where they are singing from. The air column is all important, from diaphragm through lungs, throat, mouth and lips.
I sang from very high up for years and I also smoked 2 packs a day. Regularly I would lose my voice before a gig was over. After some voice training and letting go of smoking I had a marked change in my voice especially when singing, but also with harp playing. 8 years after quitting cigs my voice seems to be better than ever, and harp playing is much less strain as well.
I gained a few pounds, mostly around my middle, once I stopped smoking.
Bee, you listed some important things there. Posture and less inflammation in your lungs/throat/sinuses may be key to better sound and breathing as well.
Is your voice deeper, thinner, rounder?
I found I could relax and not strain near as much after I quit smoking. My voice still stresses some with 2 or 3 sets, especially acoustic, but it recovers in a day. Wife says she hears the difference of before and after and I definitely feel it.
Just not having the allergy issues I used to have has been huge. There were times previously where wife would have to finish singing the last set because my pipes were either just shot or I had so much congestion. I do take a decongestant most days now which keeps things open and clear as well.
I have more fullness and less grit these days. Still gruff and deep but not raspy like old times.
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Music and travel destroy prejudice.
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indigo
570 posts
Aug 09, 2019
9:52 PM
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I've never had a weight problem but i have friends who have struggled with it.
I once said to a friend something along the line like " Why can't you just see food as an addiction like smoking and just cut down"
Brilliant response "Yeah but you can choose whether or not to smoke,but you have to eat"
Thing is i only weigh 72 kilos(140lbs) and a singing coach i once went to said i had a Basso profundo voice capability,that's Paul Robson territory.
Which is all well and good but i can't hold a tune:)
Good on you for losing the weight.
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SuperBee
6114 posts
Aug 09, 2019
11:39 PM
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Jbone, I’d say it’s fuller and rounder, smoother even, and more powerful.
Yes, I used to smoke too. I quit 18 years ago but then 10 years ago I began having the occasional binge. At some point I realized I was having a cigarette or 3 on 1 or 2 days most weeks, and that this had been going on for months. I stopped. I don’t know how long ago. At least a year now since I last lit up.
That definitely does affect my voice and harp.
There’s a thread here up near the top about stage fright. There’s a bit of advocacy in that for chemical help. I’ve certainly been there but I notice that when I drink the first part of me which gets clumsy is my tongue. I think I play better without drinking. Maybe I sing better too.
Indigo, 72kg is about where I want to be.
I’m 5’10” and I was close to 94Kg. I’m currently 79Kg which is much better but I spent a decade at 75Kg and I know that felt a lot better again. I was working hard and had much more muscle then so 70 may suit me better these days.
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jbone
2988 posts
Aug 10, 2019
6:36 AM
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In the 80's I began playing in public, and I most usually oiled up a bit before hand. The oil took over and cost me some opportunities. Late 80's found me taking the steps I needed to clean up and I'm clean/sober ever since.
That was part of the story. Lots of cigs and lots of coffee, ad a not so good diet, led me to near diabetes in the 90's. A change of diet helped a lot but for me the core of the issues centered around smoking. Hence things improved hugely as I recovered from tobacco.
I will add that before I cleaned up I had very little ability to learn except by rote and repetition. Late in life I realized I have lived with a learning challenge for most of my life. This has not stopped me but changed the course of how I progressed.
I am at a decent place in life these past few years. Balance is crucial.
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Music and travel destroy prejudice.
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barbequebob
3605 posts
Aug 10, 2019
8:12 AM
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@SuperBee -- I've dealt with weight problems all of my life and it's basically been a yo-yo when it comes to my weight. I've recently dropped some 70 lbs. of weight the idea of weight loss and tone loss is 100% totally dead wrong and a total myth and misconception.
However, as far as far as better breathing to go with better playing and vocals, part of improving that I've found had more to do with getting vocal lessons from a reputable vocal coach and the two things they ALWAYS stress is proper breathing and relaxation and weight doesn't matter when it comes to this. Better posture also happens to be one of the very things all reputable vocal coaches will also put a lot of emphasis on and for good reason and your problem may have been likely caused by being stooped foward a lot more than you realize.
I would actually recommend going to a vocal coach just for those very reasons alone and I can guarantee you that both your playing and vocals will improve quite a lot and they will teach you how to use your lung capacity in much more efficent ways.
I think the idea of more weight on a singer for a richer voice is purely more myth than truth and I think it's comes from people who usually see male opera singers like a Pavorotti and making that assumption and I've seen extremely slender opera singers that had the exact same qualities as well.
I think what's more of a revelation to you is how much harder you were forced to breathe from the extra weight. One thing I know about opera singers, large or small, is that they do CONSTANT practice with breathing exercises going up and down their entire range and the exercises have a lot more to do with what they do than the weight actually does.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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